


X-Tober 2020 - ATLA

by HeartOfStars



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Aang & Zuko (Avatar) Friendship, Angst and Fluff, Friendship, Gen, Zuko is an Awkward Turtleduck, no romance here only platonic love, post-season 3
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-02
Updated: 2020-10-02
Packaged: 2021-03-07 20:48:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 777
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26773888
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HeartOfStars/pseuds/HeartOfStars
Summary: A collection of all the Whumptober/Angstober/Flufftober prompts I'm doing for Avatar: The Last Airbender, mostly featuring Aang and Zuko.
Relationships: Aang & Zuko (Avatar), Azula & Zuko (Avatar), The Gaang & Zuko (Avatar)
Comments: 1
Kudos: 19





	X-Tober 2020 - ATLA

The moments after the battle were...horrifying. Zuko had to stand there and watch, his entire body still a blur of pain, as Azula was dragged away by the guards now honor-bound to serve him, as she writhed and shrieked and sobbed, as she screamed insults--at the guards, at Katara, at their absent father and missing mother, but at Zuko specifically. 

He had wanted her defeated. She had done so much, had manipulated him for years, had almost killed Aang and tried to kill Katara...and yet…

She was his sister. 

And there had been a time when they had played together, side by side, before their father had begun to manipulate them. 

And now, she was verifiably insane. But he couldn’t do anything about it. 

“It’ll be okay,” Katara said. “She’s gone now.” He barely heard her. It didn’t help that she had wanted Azula gone as much as she had. 

He could still feel the spot where the lightning had struck him; but that was nothing compared to Azula’s screaming. 

“Zuko!” The energetic voice drew him out of his thoughts; Aang, of course. They were back. Back from what? Zuko’s thoughts seemed to whisper. 

His father. That was right. 

“Aang,” Zuko said, his voice a croak. “What happened? Where is my father?”

“I didn’t kill him,” Aang said; his eyes were shining, and the radiance in his face almost distracted Zuko. Almost. “I took away his Firebending!” 

“Wow.” Katara shook her head. “I...didn’t even know that was an option.”

“I didn’t either,” Aang chirped. “But then I talked to a giant lion turtle--that’s where I was the whole time, by the way--and I knew what I had to do!” 

A giant lion turtle. It was ridiculous. Aang, as always, was ridiculous. But at the moment, it was exactly what Zuko needed. 

“Sounds like fun,” he said. 

Aang grinned at Zuko...and then he frowned. 

“Something’s wrong,” he said. “Are you okay?”

Zuko couldn’t bring himself to explain. 

“Azula…” Katara swallowed. “She cheated, of course. She tried to blast me with lightning, and--and Zuko took it for me.” 

“Of course he did,” Aang said, not sounding in the least surprised. “But what happened to Azula? She’s not...dead, is she?”

Despite what Azula had done to them, Aang didn’t want her dead, either. What a relief. 

The sound of her screaming provided an answer. 

“No, she’s not dead,” Katara said grimly. “She’s worse.” 

“Oh. I get it.” To Zuko’s surprise, there was actual...sorrow in Aang’s eyes. 

“She’s...it’s like she’s gone insane.” Katara shook her head. “My father’s calling me. I’ll be right back.” 

She left, and Aang and Zuko continued to listen as Azula was dragged away. They couldn’t see her, not anymore; but they could still hear her. 

“She’s my sister,” Zuko found himself saying after a while. “My sister. I didn’t kill her, but I feel like...this is worse, somehow.” 

“I’m sorry,” Aang said, and Zuko knew he meant it. “I wish we could’ve helped her.” 

Of course. Of course he wished that. He was the Avatar. 

“I do, too,” Zuko said. “But there isn’t any way that we could have, is there?” 

Aang shook his head. “I want to say there is, but…” His shoulders slumped. “No. Probably not.” 

Zuko tried to ignore the screams. What had happened to their family? A power-hungry manipulator...a selfless, banished mother...a psychopath gone insane…

What was going to happen to him? 

Zuko was dragged out of his thoughts again by the touch of fingers against his. He looked down in shock. Aang...Aang had actually taken his hand.

“Things don’t look good now,” he said. “But they’ll be better.” 

“Uh-huh,” Zuko said doubtfully. 

“No.” Aang frowned up at him. “They will be. You have to believe that. The world is free now, thanks to all of us! Things are already better, and they’re going to keep improving. You’ll see.” 

Zuko wanted to keep on denying it, but given that Aang had just taken down the Fire Lord, he didn’t think it would be wise to argue. 

Besides, he was already starting to feel a bit better. 

“You think so?” he said. 

“I know so,” Aang said. “I’m the Avatar, after all.” 

Zuko smiled. “You don’t get to use that excuse. I’m about to be the Fire Lord.” 

“Hmm. Fire Lord Zuko.” Aang smiled. “I like the sound of that.” 

Zuko smiled back, squeezing Aang’s hand just a little tighter. Aang was almost...he was too good. It was impossible to believe that Zuko was even friends with him to begin with. 

“I like it too,” he said. 


End file.
